Really? An "oil recovery czar"?

President Barack Obama, in his televised speech to the nation Tuesday, will announce the creation of an oil recovery “czar” to oversee progress in siphoning crude from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, his chief spokesman said.

Speaking on ABC television’s “Good Morning America” program, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the position is envisioned as “somebody that will be in charge of a recovery plan, putting a recovery plan together…when we get past the cleanup and response phase of this disaster.”

Well let’s see – we’ve had a commission appointed. We’ve seen the administration explore criminal charges against BP. And now, the administration that has been on top of this thing since “day one” is going to appoint “somebody that will be in charge of a recovery plan” and “putting a recovery plan together” 55 freakin’ days in to this!?

Now he’s going to put someone in charge and put a plan together?

Too bad we don’t have a method of voting “no confidence” in this country and calling for new elections. I think this guy would be gone in a New York minute.

59 Responses to Really? An "oil recovery czar"?

But there’s ALREADY a Federal law the charges the EPA administrator with that responsibility.
the National Oil And Hazardous Substances Contingency Plan Act.
Why is Obama not following the mandate he already has? Why are we inventing an ILLEGAL wheel, when we already have one that IS LEGAL?

3. Doesn’t require much work that might interfere with Imeme’s golf schedule or White House staffers’ beer pong parties.

Cleaning up an oil spill is pretty uninteresting stuff. Further, it’s not “change”. Finally, people EXPECT it, much as they expect the mayor of their town to staff and oversee a competent fire department that puts out routine house fires or a competent police department that catches run-of-the-mill thieves and burglars. There’s just no glory – no page in the history books! – for seeing that the garbage is picked up every week, potholes are filled in, and the school buses run on time. No “change”, no glory, and thus no interest from Imeme.

Brian Williams, to my surprise, pegged it: “I got a kick out of President Obama saying that even when the cameras go away we’ll still be there for you. That ain’t the way this is going to play out. If anything, the cameras being here have compelled outside interests – government, BP – to kick this into another gear. With all due respect, the President might have had his scenario off by 180 degrees.”

Unfortunately, like DocJim says, doing your duty just doesn’t get you a page in the history books. It doesn’t make you “transformational” or “exceptional.” It doesn’t justify your Nobel peace prize, make you the center of attention, or further your agenda. It merely shows you to be competant.

When you perceive yourself a “great,” then mere competance is a put-down.

Yep. Now, who will Cap’n Kickass appoint to this position? Will it be somebody who actually knows something about oil spills and cleanup? Or will he appoint some partisan hack, an out-of-office dem like Daschle? Or maybe he’ll go for a rabid anti-oil industry green zealot like Van Jones? Hell, maybe a two-fer: Algore.

My guess is that this czar will have far less to do with containment and cleanup and far more to do with thinking up newer, tougher regulations to make sure that “this never happens again” by ensuring that the US never drills for one more drop of oil.

Nope, never happen. Gore already knows how uncomfortable the underside of that bus is and can hear it coming from a mile away. I doubt Obama could tempt Gore out into the road now with a mountain of Chocolate Eclairs and a photo album full of pictures of drowning polar bear cubs.

On the other hand, Algore is vain and so terribly, terribly eager to be relevent that he could likely be persuaded to take on the job, ESPECIALLY if he’s offered up some sweet, dictatorial, czar-y goodness to go along with it.

“So, if I take this job, I get a government limo with motorcade, a bigger Secret Service detail, a private Air Force jet, a big office in DC AND New Orleans, and a staff, plus I get to to write whatever regulations against the oil, coal, power and automobile industries that I want, and they will become law by executive order? I AM TOTALLY THERE!”

After the last President, who weakened the US with two ineffective wars, causing the world to no longer fear US power, who ran massive deficits during a low unemployment bubble economy, whose de-regulation of big finance helped support a massive ponsi-like scheme by big money, and whose diplomatic ineffectiveness marginalized the world, you have the gall to fire cheap shots at Obama who is trying to handle a problem that the government really can’t solve (this is beyond the scope of government capacity) just because, well, I’m not sure what your problem is. It sounds like “this is a horrible problem so let’s just blame as much of it on Obama as we can.” Pathetic partisan hackery. Oh well, he’s almost certain to get re-elected, so be ready to keep whining for seven more years.

He’s talkin about Barney Fanny, or Freddie Frank or something. You know, THESE GUYS.…that big government regulated mortgage thingie that needs another $160 billion for yet another bailout.
I can never keep those names straight, but thank God it’s being run by the government! Imagine what it would cost to bail them out if they weren’t being overseen by guys like Barney Rubble, or Frank Flinstone, or whatever that dude’s name is.

Collectivist buffoons like Erp forget there is ALLLLLL kinds of evidence showing who is responsible for the Ponzi schemes abounding via BIG GOVERNMENT, who tried to stop them, and who profited MOST from them. Whadda dope.

“causing the world to no longer fear US power” – is it your contention that the world ‘feared’ US power under Bill Clinton? You know, “whack that aspirin factory & kill them camels!” Bill?
Diplomatic ineffectiveness – as opposed to Bowin Barack?

Someone take the needle off the record.
There is no bigger big in this country than Big Education. Not a single other industry or sector has been so successful at raising its prices and demanding more from the public trough. It must be all the sweeter when you’re a 11th rate hack with a lifetime appointment.

After the last President, who weakened the US with two ineffective and icky wars, which were, like, totally unnecessary because war is unhealthy for children and other living things, how can you take shots like that at Obama? If Obama has been in power on 9/11, you can bet that we would not have counter-attacked any Muslim countries or organizations, no sir. Because the power and majesty of Obama’s Christlike visage would have compelled those Muslim holy warriors to see our goodness and they would be like “Oh, we’re so sorry we attacked you! We’ll never ever do it again!” Well, maybe the Christlike thing would be a bit offputting, but certainly Obama would invoke the magical healing power of negotiation and make it all come out right. I’ve told you before how magical healing negotiation always, always works as long we prostrate ourselves sufficiently and apologize for all our sins. And any military action under any circumstance is risky, risky, risky, and always unnecessary as I said earlier besides being just icky.

But that doesn’t mean I’m a pacifist! Stop saying that! And stop laughing! You sound like Urkel!

How can you be OK with causing the world to no longer fear US power, running massive deficits, de-regulating finance, and marginalizing the world? And it’s all Bush’s fault. All of it! So just don’t start up about Obama’s diplomatic gaffes and how the British are really mad at us! None of that means anything! And don’t start up with those Democratic congressman who began and defended sub-prime lending, or any of that stuff! They were saints who were just trying to do the right thing for poor underprivileged brown people, uh, I mean black people, oops, I mean African Americans, not that there’s anything wrong with that. We wise and compassionate leftists intuitively understand that such programs are absolutely necessary and a moral right, and you grunt engineers are supposed to figure out a way to make them work without any of this nonsense about how the laws of economics don’t allow it. Stop laughing, I said!

You have the gall to fire cheap shots at a man who thinks like me, and who is trying to handle a problem that the government really can’t solve (this is beyond the scope of government capacity) just because, well, I’m not sure what your problem is. But I’m sure it isn’t anything like the righteous anger we felt against Bush when Katrina hit and when he attacked Afghanistan! No, it’s completely different!
It sounds like “this is a horrible problem so let’s just blame as much of it on Obama as we can.” Pathetic partisan hackery. And don’t start up with how the left treated Bush, just don’t start! I’ve told you before – the holy writ of post-modernism allows leftists to do such things any time we want because our intentions are good and we deserve to make decisions for everyone because we’re so wise and stuff.

We’ve discussed this many times in the faculty lounge, and we completely understand why Bush was just odious and Obama is wonderful. It was a constant subject of conversation during my recent pilgrimage visit to Europe. And we all have advanced degrees, which automatically means we’re much, much smarter than you. So why don’t you listen to me?!? And don’t you dare start up with the Sadr stuff, or what I said about Kerry being a stainless knight, or how I said the surge wasn’t going to work, and how Iran was going to step right in and take over Iraq, or how I said markets don’t adjust themselves, or how I said Obama was going to cut spending. He might! He still has time!

Especially since he’s almost certain to get re-elected. Damn it, stop laughing! I just know he will! I couldn’t face it if he were not. I would have to tearfully tell my gender-neutral children that we’ve entered a new dark age. We would be rolling back so much progress, and you mean, sterile, mindless, inbred, Nazi-like righties would probably undo the healthcare bill too. Because you’re mean.

So be ready to keep whining for seven more years. I decree it. Obama is going to win. I’m sure I’m just as right about that as I have been about all my predictions. Even the low probability quantum ones that are so hard to predict because of Hindenberg Uncertainty.

When we have an executive branch that seems able to ignore the law, and insist on an extra-constitutional additional mandate to the one being ignored, we have an outlaw dictatorship. Sorry, I could find no other way to put that.

“After the last President, who weakened the US with two ineffective wars, causing the world to no longer fear US power, who ran massive deficits during a low unemployment bubble economy, whose de-regulation of big finance helped support a massive ponsi-like scheme by big money, and whose diplomatic ineffectiveness marginalized the world, you have the gall to fire cheap shots at Obama who is trying to handle a problem that the government really can’t solve (this is beyond the scope of government capacity) just because, well, I’m not sure what your problem is. It sounds like “this is a horrible problem so let’s just blame as much of it on Obama as we can.” Pathetic partisan hackery. Oh well, he’s almost certain to get re-elected, so be ready to keep whining for seven more years.”

…because in addition to being one of the funniest, while being at once one of the most grotesque, things I’ve read by him, it needs to be preserved in case he ever needs help with an insanity defense.

Here are some key words with comment in response:

“India,” as in the world’s second largest country and largest democracy. Bush brought it into a very engaged relationship with the U.S. on very friendly terms; Obama has ignored it and is squandering the good will.

“Great Britain,” as in the close ally with whom the U.S. has had a “special relationship” and which stood with George Bush in Iraq through the bad days, and which Barack Obama hastily insulted immediately upon taking office by returning a bust of Winston Churchill that had been given to the White House. Nasty bit of spite, that, and symbolic of a puerile dilletante at foreign policy.

“Honduras,” as in the Central American democracy that fought off an attempt by its president (a friend of Hugo Chavez) to violate the Honduran constitution by removing him from office before his term was over and then immediately restoring the normal election process. There the weird and ideological Obama White House interfered on behalf of the Chavez friend and has been threatening and attempting to intimidate the Hondurans ever since.

“Spending,” as in, what, doubling or tripling the deficits that existed under this regimes predecessor.

“Massive Bankrupt Entitlement Programs,” as in Social Security and Medicare, which Obama “addressed” by creating yet another massive entitlement program.

The leadership on the oil spill has been, at best, amateurish. That’s the charitable way of viewing it. At worst, it’s been reckless, politicized, and “who gives a f***” on the part of this regime in the White House.

All of it very odd, and yet it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of how bad these people are.

Petty vindictiveness in the setting of a crucial international alliance. If it’s true, about that as motivation, it sounds like malignant narcissism. But that evidence bag joins a few dozen more in the same file.

Absolutely. We easily see how much Imeme values his his relatives from the money and help he lavishes on them. For example, I understand that his half (step?) brother has the most luxurious one-room shack in all of Kenya. And his aunt is enjoying every government benefit Massachusetts allows. Yessir, family is EVERYTHING to Imeme.

I think everyone is missing what this Czar is for. McQ put the money part in the quote….“somebody that will be in charge of a recovery plan, putting a recovery plan together…when we get past the cleanup and response phase of this disaster.”

“..After the cleanup and response phase of this disaster” . This is someone who will come up with the new regulations without Congress voting. This is someone who will appoint the approved board members of the companies (think GM). This will be someone to make and implement the plan to nationalize the oil industry without calling it nationalization.

This Czar will not even look at the current mess or come up with a plan for cleaning it up. It says so right in the quote.

This will be someone to make and implement the plan to nationalize the oil industry without calling it nationalization.

Fascist economic theory is extremely seductive. It gives the appearance that ownership resides in the hands of private parties, which it nominally does. However, all meaningful control is in the hands of government. It STRONGLY favors big business, and cannot abide entrepreneurial activity…literally. LARGE private business interests do well…at least for a while…under fascist economics.
Among early fans of fascist economics was Winston Churchill, and a very large segment of American intelligentsia and captains of industry.

DESTIN — Okaloosa County isn’t taking oil spill orders any more.
County commissioners voted unanimously to give their emergency management team the power to take whatever action it deems necessary to prevent oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill from entering Choctawhatchee Bay through the East Pass.
That means the team, led by Public Safety Director Dino Villani, can take whatever action it sees fit to protect the pass without having its plans approved by state or federal authorities.

I wonder if anyone on the Left realizes that the constant need for Czars, Commissions, and special executive bureaucracies should be a sign that the Federal Government is too large, the regulations are too tangled and the existing bureaucracies are ineffective. Any large issue, and the original bureaucracy can’t handle it? We need a new special bureaucracy and a leader to cut through red tape (hint: that means there is too much regulation or that the bureaucracy is using red tape to actually tie their own hands, e.g. environmental impact reports on sand berms that are planned to protect wetlands from oncoming oil.)

Harun – I wonder if anyone on the Left realizes that the constant need for Czars, Commissions, and special executive bureaucracies should be a sign that the Federal Government is too large, the regulations are too tangled and the existing bureaucracies are ineffective.

Nah. What the czars, commissions, and special executive bureaucracies are for the left is a way to get what they want without the fuss, muss, and potential failure of going through the Congress. Why bother to have hearings and votes when all you really need to do is appoint some guy to impose regulations by fiat?

Remember how the left complained about Bush, signing statements, and the “imperial presidency”? Once again, we see that they don’t object to WHAT was done; they merely didn’t like the fact that THEY weren’t the ones doing it.

Compare and contrast
You can bet that Bush and Cheney would be visiting the actual well site to look at the recovery efforts there.
Cheney has forgotten more about how this works than DaWon will ever know.
Yet another CZAR which duplicates existing law to put some poor person in place to take the blame and fall on their sword later.
Reaction around the web I have been collecting all point to the speech as an epic fail and totally off focus.
No real big shocker there.